


Shadows cast by Light

by CanineR7A7



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Ahsoka has seen some shit, Ahsoka is not okay, I don't care if she is my favourite character, Kanan and Hera are nice people, Other, That's bound to mess her up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanineR7A7/pseuds/CanineR7A7
Summary: Ahsoka lived through the Clone Wars, lost the people closest to her, and helped to start a rebellion. No-one sees the cracks in her mask, at least, that's what she thought.





	1. Chapter 1

When they first meet Fulcrum, Kanan knows that she is in pain; her face is the picture of calm, yet her stance seems guarded. He reaches out with the force and feels the turmoil that lies under a thin veil of stability, she knows what he did, the panic that flashes in her eyes tells him enough, he wants to reach out, he wants to tell her she’s not alone, she must’ve known what he was thinking – the slight tense to her shoulders tell him enough – he’s snapped out of his musings when Hera offers her the spare room, one glance tells Kanan enough, she knows what he was thinking.

 

* * *

 

Hera notices the next day, she watches as Fulcrum enters the room, the woman’s eyes dart around the room, making note of the other door and the ventilation shaft. The pilot’s heart clenches when she considers her contact, the woman standing before her is a veteran from a long-forgotten war, Hera remembers the teen who helped defend her home, and feels dread sink in – the woman before her couldn’t have been any older than fifteen during that time – she could only imagine the things the togruta had seen. She wants to apologise, for the things she had seen, the things she had to do, and the things she has yet to do; Hera says none of this, merely pours the veteran a drink and watches as the woman not-quite-relaxes, but it’ll do for now.


	2. Nightmares

It’s no secret that Fulcrum suffers from nightmares, Hera has one ever-so-often, Kanan goes through a few consecutive nights where his sleep his far from restful, but Fulcrum was another matter entirely, The skin beneath her eyes was noticeably darker – the woman’s eyes were far from bloodshot, but Hera knew all the tricks – it was made all-the-more clearer when their caff supply started to fall for reasons that the others had yet to pick up on, Kanan had noticed, perks of being force-sensitive. The day Hera found her, seconds from collapsing, in the hallway was the day Hera had had enough.

“Fulcrum?” She called out, startling the woman slightly.

“Can we talk?” She saw the cornered look pass across the togruta’s face and knew she’d have to tread carefully. She led the woman to the most-open room on the Ghost before moving them over to the table.

“I just wanted to you to know that you can talk to me, about anything.” She watched the cautious look on the woman’s face fade into tiredness, Hera felt a weight lift from her shoulders when the togruta’s slumped.

“Do you want to go to sleep?” The tiredness was instantly replaced by fear and Hera didn’t need to be force-sensitive to feel the panic emanating from the other woman in waves. She didn’t think twice about pulling the togruta into her arms.

“I know, I have them too.” She knew her nightmares were nowhere near as bad as Fulcrum’s – being a child-soldier would do that to you – but she knows that the other woman needed that reassurance. That night, when Kanan walks into their room to see the woman he loves holding their new friend in her arms, he doesn’t question it, just climbs in next to them and sends the togruta comfort through the force.


	3. claustrophobia

Kanan stood in the corner of the room, watching as Ahsoka’s eyes continuously drifted to the door, it shouldn’t surprise him, he remembers the whispers of the Jedi that betrayed the Republic – not long before its fall – and he remembered when she left. The other padawans and younglings murmured about it for months, carefully hiding their words from their masters. She was a legend in her own right, apprentice to the chosen-one, the one who actively sought to clear her name, and countless other stories he’d heard in passing. But he looked at her now, the empire practically breathing down her neck, and the weight on the rebellion on her shoulders.

“You want to know, don’t you?” Her voice startled him from his thoughts, she sounded so calm, but the trauma was clear to him – they’d both had blasters from their own troops pointed at them, but for her, it was twice.

“I do, but it’s your story to tell, and right now, I doubt your mind is in the right place.” He stated, he didn’t know what he would’ve done in her position, abandoned by the only family he’d ever known, betrayed by his closest friend. He looked at her then and realised that she had long gotten over that – it was the confinement that haunted her – he had seen her in battle, airborne strikes and rapid movement, suddenly, her unease was made clear.

“You’re claustrophobic.” He didn’t word it as a question, he didn’t need to, the fang that immediately began to worry her lower-lip was answer enough. He didn’t hesitate to send a landing request to Hera; the pilot didn’t question him, simply set course to the nearest planet. Now, standing on solid ground with an arm draped casually over Tano’s shoulders, Kanan allowed himself to relax aswell, a smile drifting to his face when he noticed Hera’s arm wrap around the togruta’s waist.


	4. Malachor Part 1

Hera hated it when she saw the ship dock, she hated the suspense and she could tell that the others felt it as well. The door opened and she couldn’t help the gasp she let out when she saw the bandages covering Kanan’s eyes, or the tears that silently leaked from her eyes when Ahsoka didn’t emerge from the ship. She didn’t need to look to know that the other captain was just as heartbroken. Hera flung herself into Kanan’s arms.

“What happened?” She didn’t care that the others had also stopped to listen.

“She saved our lives but she, gave up her own.” Kanan’s voice was calm but she knew him long enough to know he was grieving. That night they lay in bed, their thoughts drifting to the woman who had, unknowingly, become an important part of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think I was quoting?


	5. Malachor Part 2

They approached the planet in silence, when Kanan had claimed to feel Ahsoka’s force-signature the others had ignored it, believing it to be a result of his grief, Hera had believed him, she wouldn’t be sat next to him now if she didn’t. The ship landed and Hera forced herself to relax, she followed Kanan to a crater on the otherwise smooth ground, it was dark down there, but they’d seen too much for the dark to scare them. She didn’t quite understand how Kanan was managing without his sight but she chose not to question it.

“Are you ready?” Kanan asked when they approached the remains of the temple; Hera ignored the dread that she felt building.

“Always.” They entered together and ventured to the last place Ahsoka had been seen, the room was desecrated, but nothing was more damaged than the figure that lay in the centre. The two approached, saddened at the state of their friend, burns and other wounds littering her body – Hera couldn’t believe that this was once the child-soldier that saved her home.

“Ahsoka?” Hera called hesitantly, a slight whimper was her response, she couldn’t help the smile as she gently pulled the togruta into her arms.

“H-Hera?” The older woman rasped out.

“Yes, we’re here to take you home.” She watched as Kanan lifted the togruta into his arms, the three of them returned to the ship, a much lighter silence filling the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter.


End file.
